Recent Patient Updates

Gertrude had surgery this morning, and all went well. In theater, Dr Lubega released the contracture at her elbow, and a skin graft from her thigh completed the procedure. There weren't any complications, and Gertrude is recovering well! We'll update you tomorrow on how she's doing. Please pray for her!

Exciting news from Ishma today, he's been discharged! He was actually pretty reluctant to leave though, and when his mom and grandma were ready to go he ran away to Thandy's office, saying he wanted to stay with him! We'll be seeing Ishma again for a review at the end of April, so keep an eye at for him then. Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement that have been sent his way while he's been with us!

Saraphina had a bit of a fever yesterday, and spent a lot of the day sleeping. She's feeling much better this morning though, the fever has gone down and she's been up and about, running around the ward. Praise the Lord! This little one has to wait a while before we inspect the wound - but while she waits there's plenty of playing with the other kids to be done, as well as quality time with her dad!

Lucy's finally put on a smile for us! The other day when she was upset about going to theater, Dunamis, our CUREkids coordinator, spent a lot of time helping to comfort and reassure Lucy. Now, whenever she sees her, Dunamis gets a huge smile from Lucy! What a treat. We're so glad Dunamis took the time to make her feel cared for and safe!

A giant bag of 'puffs' is almost every Malawian child's dream. These crunchy little rings of flavor are made of maize, and are a bit of a staple here. Flora has got lucky with this huge bag of them, and she's loving it!

During our ward round this morning, Dr Maina examined Adija's hands so we can decide a plan of action. Both hands need work, but we don't want to leave Adija unable to use both of them at all. So one at a time is the way to go here! Adija's right hand has already had some surgery, and her mom, Cecilia, said she'd prefer we finish work on that one before starting on Adija's left hand. Hopefully we'll be able to take Adija to theater later this week, we'll keep you posted!

Back at home, Lisnert's mom Delifa is a farmer! She visited home over the weekend, and brought back fresh produce and some beans to share with everyone at the hospital. Here she is with her home grown beans!

“She will be fine...you will be fine baby,” said Natalie. Abigail currently has a fever, but once it breaks, she will go back into surgery for a shunt placement. Natalie is doing fine and has been communicating with family and friends back home, but please keep praying for little Abigail!

Swabla is going for surgery today. Yesterday, Salama called her folks back at home and they are aware that she will be in surgery. The other moms have been supportive towards her and she is happy that Swabla is going to be treated. Please pray for a good outcome to Swabla's surgery with us!

Deborah has already had a brain CT scan done and all her vitals are being monitored hourly. Deborah wasn't feeding well, so the doctors inserted a nasogastric tube to help her feed. Monica is settled in and has found some tribe mates who she has connected with so she isn't lonely. Please continue to pray for Monica and for baby Deborah!

“Joshua woke up last night and was able to feed,” says Rebecca. He is still on oxygen support but is conscious. Rebecca’s mom visited her and brought her some home made food. She says she is stronger than she was when she first got to CURE Hospital. Please continue to pray for baby Joshua.

“Luke is so strong, you can’t believe he had surgery just yesterday. Last night he got up and pulled out all the wires that were connecting him to the monitor. He had a fight with the nurses until he finally allowed to be rewired. He is strong like his siblings,” says Mary. Luke is still in ICU but is stable and the nurses are preparing to take him back to the ward. This morning when he woke up, he breastfed and played a bit before taking a nap. Although Mary is happy that the surgery was successful, she is a bit anxious about how the shunt works, so we gave her a thorough explanation this morning. Her husband Apollo went back this morning to take care of the other kids at home.

"Sir, don’t you think Zeutesi is too weak to go into surgery?” asked Annette. Annette is worried that Zeutesi is going to the OR, yet she thinks she is still too weak, but we have explained everything to her and she has understood that the procedures are minor. Zeutesi had a calm and uneventful night. Today, she is going into the operating room for two medical procedures called irrigation and aspiration. As for now, she is still on oxygen support and is awaiting surgery.

Mariama came in today for her first surgery! The surgeon took a piece of skin from her arm to put on her hand and replace the burned tissue. When we saw her in the morning before anesthesia she already was asleep. She will need some rest now, and we hope she will recover the full use of her hand. Please keep her in your prayers, she’s such a courageous girl!

Little Gertrude is back, and free from malaria! This means she's ready for surgery, hooray! Today she was making the most of being outside, enjoying the company of the other kids in the hospital as they played in the sun. She'll most likely go to theater tomorrow, or on Thursday, so please pray for her as she prepares for surgery!

Samuel's making the most of the sun and getting his daily dose of Vitamin D! He hasn't had surgery yet, so we suspect he's also trying to make the most of his freedom, before his legs are out of action while they heal after surgery. At the moment our surgeons are trying to decide between a few options for him, so please pray for wisdom as they make their decision. Thank you!

Peacepar aka Mr Bright eyes just got discharged and has left CURE hospital. He will be back for a check up in one month’s time. It will be sad not seeing Peacepar’s happy eyes but we are excited that this little fighter has been given the ‘ok’ to head back home!

Little Lucy was caught napping this afternoon, but we had a chat with Aaron, her dad. He says that Lucy's been fine since her surgery, and there weren't any problems with pain, or Lucy crying. As you can see she's pretty peaceful here! We're going to take her back to theater on Thursday to check how everything's looking, so please continue to pray for rapid and beautiful healing to take place. Thank you!

We're down to the last few days (hopefully!) of "turns" for Ruth and her frame! She's been following a schedule, and the incremental turning of the pins have been gradually moving the bones in her leg around to the correct positioning. She's got two more days left on the schedule, then we'll x-ray and assess how she's doing! If it's good, she may be allowed to go home! Please keep her in your prayers.

Cheeky Lisnert is at it again, pulling faces at the camera as usual. We managed to catch her with a smile on her face though! Her mom, Delifa, had to head home for a day over the weekend to get a few things. They weren't expecting to be at the hospital this long! Independent Lisnert looked after herself just fine, with Ruth's mom keeping a bit of a watchful eye on her as well. And Delifa made it back safe and sound yesterday, praise the Lord!

Adija is back with us and we are stoked! And she's already making friends - here she is with Lisnert. Adija is back for more contracture release surgery on her hands, so please pray for our surgeons as they review her case and decide the best course of action for her. Thank you!

We are delighted to have Florah visit us again! What a little bundle of joy this one is! At the moment she's just back to receive some injections, which will hopefully prevent her knee from contracting. She'll only be here for a couple of days, and we'll assess her again in a few months to see whether she needs further surgery or not. For now, we're enjoying her fine company and that winning smile!

What a little character this guy is! These two photos were taken within five minutes of each other - first, Ishma screams his lungs out at the sight of us, and next thing you know he's smiling and waving. You never know what mood you're going to catch him in! At the moment we're still continuing with the dressing changes on alternate days, things are looking pretty good, and he might be able to go home soon! Please keep praying for him.